Click on "Conference News" above for general information about attending an ALA conference, including tips on finding funding for attending the conference. For specific, up to date information about the ALA Conference beyond YALSA's slate of programs and events, please visit the ALA Annual Conference Website.

Registration, Travel and Hotel Information

Bundled registration for ALA Annual and ALA Midwinter will open on Sept. 1.

United Airlines is offering special meeting discounts for attendees of the ALA Annual Conference. Simply call the United Special Meeting Desk at 800-521-4041 and refer to Meeting ID Number 500CR to receive a 2-10% discount off applicable fares, including First Class. If you purchase your ticket at least 30 days prior to travel, you will receive an additional 5% discount. This special offer applies to travel on domestic segments of all United Airlines, United Express, TED and United code share flights (UA*) operated by US Airways, US Airways Express and Air Canada. There are no fees to use the 800 number. International attendees will receive a 10% discount off the lowest applicable fare (excluding First Class), or a 15% discount off the fully refundable, unrestricted coach fare when they call their local United Airlines reservation number and refer to meeting ID number 500CR. An additional 5% discount will apply when tickets are purchased at least 60 days in advance of your travel dates. Discounts apply to United and Lufthansa (code share) flights. You can also make your reservation online at www.united.com, using ALA promotion code 500CR (click on "More Search Options" to enter the code).

Consider staying with local Chicago residents who are renting out futons and private bedrooms. They have individual reviews too.

Shuttles at ALA Chicago

A free shuttle will run from McCormick Place to many of the official ALA hotels.

Roommates

Looking for a roommate for the symposium? Leave a message looking for someone in this space. Please include your contact information!

Convention Center Information

Location: The 2013 ALA Annual Conference will be held in Chicago's McCormick Place convention center at 2301 S. Lake Shore Dr. This is a pretty huge convention center, so be sure you know where your meeting rooms are, or you could waste a lot of time wandering around.

Maps: You can access the web for maps and floor plans of McCormick Place at www.mccormickplace.com (click on Facilities, then Floor Plans).

YALSA Programs & Ticketed Events

Ten Years of YALSA’s Teens’ Top Ten
Friday, June 28th, 8:30am to 12:00pm. Price is $129, students $89
Join YALSA for a half day preconference to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Teens’ Top Ten (TTT)! The Teens' Top Ten is a "teen choice" list, where teens nominate and choose their favorite books of the previous year. Learn about the program from current TTT groups, receive tips on how to run a similar program in your library, and meet authors who have appeared on the Teens’ Top Ten list (like the 2012 winner, Veronica Roth).

YA Lit Bloggers’ Summit
Friday, June 28th,12:30 to 4:30pm. Price is $129, students $89
A must-attend event for YA lit bloggers! Take your blog to the next level by participating in a discussion of the state of YA lit and networking with bloggers, reviewers, publishers and authors. Topics such as leadership, marketing, tech help, review writing, ethics and copyright will be covered. You’ll leave with new contacts in blogging and publishing and a clear vision for how to make a positive mark in the vibrant world of YA lit.

Margaret A. Edwards Luncheon
11:30am-1:00pm
Saturday, June 29th, tickets are $64
Come join us for lunch and listen to the winner of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award speak about their writing. The award honors their significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine.

YA Author Coffee Klatch
Sunday,June 30th, 9-10am, tickets are $25
Enjoy coffee and meet with YALSA's award winning authors! This informal coffee klatch will give you an opportunity to meet authors who have appeared on one of YALSA’s six annual selected lists or have received one of YALSA's five literary awards. Librarians will sit at a table and every 3 or 4 minutes, a new author will arrive at your table to talk!

Michael L. Printz Program and Reception
Monday, July 1, tickets are $34
Come listen to the 2013 Michael L. Printz award-winning author and honor book authors speak about their writing, followed by a reception. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by Booklist magazine.

Program Schedule

Saturday, June 29

Selection Committee Chair Leadership Development, Saturday 8AM to 10AM, This is a leadership training session for YALSA's Selection and Award Committee Chairs. All Chairs of selection and award committees, are expected to attend. Directors on YALSA's Board are also expected to attend. Never been a Selection or Award Committee Chair, but thinking about being one? Come to this event to learn the leadership basics. Appointments to these committees will be made in October, so now is the time to learn what they're all about.

20 Programs Under $20, Saturday, 8:30 - 10 am. With budgets for programming being cut all over the country, creating quality teen programming can be challenging, but not impossible. This program will detail twenty programs that cost twenty dollars or less, and can be easily executed at any library. Outlines for each program will be available for all participants, and audience members will be able to try out some of the program activities themselves. Presenter: Pamela Jayne and Susan Sitz

Membership Meeting & YALSA Groups Work Session Saturday 10AM to noon. The first portion of this session will be YALSA's Annual Membership Meeting. The remainder of the session will be a time when YALSA process committees, taskforces, juries, advisory boards, discussion groups and interest groups can meet and accomplish any unfinished tasks or discuss issues of importance to their group. If you're not currently participating in a member group, but would like to learn more about them, please feel free to attend this session and sit in with a few groups to learn more about what they do. You can also visit the Get Involved section of YALSA's web site to learn about the different YALSA groups.

Margaret A. Edwards Award Luncheon (Ticketed Event - $64) Saturday, 11am-1:00pm, Come join us for a relaxing lunch and listen to the winner of the 2013 Margaret A. Edwards Award talk about their writing. The annual award is administered by YALSA and sponsored by School Library Journal magazine.

Dynamic Duos: Collaboration between School and Public Library Systems, Saturday, 1-2:30pm, School Teacher-Librarians and public librarians have much to offer each other, but realizing a successful collaboration can be difficult. We will explore collaboration from both sides, giving you the know-how to take advantage of your colleagues (in a good way), improving every aspect of your services with less work and more fun! Participants will learn the benefits of collaboration, see several collaborative models, and begin to develop a seamless user experience for their shared patrons. Presenters: Jessica Lee and Jack Baur

Attracting Reluctant Male Readers, Saturday, 1-2:30pm, An alarming number of adolescent boys are being labeled “reluctant readers.” We want them to read, how do we make that happen? Two Chicago-area authors, who double as public and school librarians, discuss ways to move boys to the “eager reader” category. The presenters represent populations (gay and African-American) that are traditionally under served. Attendees will receive information on sure-fire titles, proven strategies, and on-line resources to help match students with books and services. Presenters: James Klise and Barbara Binns.

Best Fiction for Young Adults Teen Session, 1:30 - 3:30. Come hear local Chicago teens talk about their favorite picks for the 2014 BFYA list.

Maker Nation: Providing STEM Programming Through Partnership co sponsored by PLA, Saturday, 3:00-4:00pm. Learn how Allen County Public Library partnered with the non-profit organization TekVenture beginning in 2011 to offer innovative programming on topics related to science, technology, engineering, math, art, and design for patrons age 12 and up. Create a maker community in your city or town!

Empowering Youth Through Junior Friends' Groups and Socially Conscious Programming, Saturday, 3:00-4:00pm. Involve and engage the teens who use your library by starting or revitalizing a Junior Friends group. Junior Friends allow for the growth of leadership skills, responsibility, activism, and increased positive interaction w/peers and the community at large. We’ll also examine socially conscious programming for teens, which addresses diversity and the need to empower our youth regardless of their backgrounds. These programs can be replicated and adapted by teen librarians across the country.
Presenter: Syntychia Kendrick-Samuel, Uniondale Public Library, Uniondale, NY.

USBBY Program, Saturday, 4:30-5:30. The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) and the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) are pleased to present Elizabeth Wein, author of Code Name Verity, listed on the 2013 USBBY Outstanding International Books and a 2013 Michael L. Printz honor book.

Beyond Crafts: Digital Literacy and New Media Programs for Students, Saturday, 4:30-6 pm, It is important that youth services librarians include new media programs on their calendars next to traditional arts and crafts. This presentation is designed to give them knowledge of 21st century skills and resources as they relate to digital literacy. Projects discussed will include light animation, robotics, sand animation, claymation, and digital photography, among others. Sample budgets and hands on lessons will be included.

YALSA Happy Hour, 6:00 to 7:00pm Join members and those interested in joining YALSA to mingle at this informal Happy Hour! Cash bar. Everyone welcome.

Sunday, June 30

YA Author Coffee Klatch (Ticketed Event, $25) Sunday 9:00am -10am, Enjoy coffee and meet with great YA authors! This informal coffee klatch will give you an opportunity to meet authors who have been honored by a YALSA list or award. Librarians will sit at a table and every 3 or 4 minutes, a new author will arrive at your table to talk!

Maintaining Teen E-Collections, Sunday, 10:30am-11:30am. How do you build the best e-book collection for teens? Do you have to weed e-materials since they don’t take up physical space? These are just two of the many questions that need to be answered when it comes to e-collections. In this session you'll have the chance to brainstorm the best way to answer these questions so to build the most successful e-collections possible for the teens.

The 2013 Alex Awards, Sunday, 10:30am-11:30am. The 2013 Alex Award winners—what they are and how to sell them to young adults—are highlighted in this panel presentation. Some winning authors will speak about their book and the award. The Alex Award is given to the top 10 books that appeal to young adults, and is administered by YALSA and sponsored by the Margaret Alexander Edwards Trust and Booklist.

We Go Together: Pairing the latest non-fiction for teens with fiction titles. Sunday, 4:30-5:30pm
Non-Fiction--not just for research any more. Join us for this fun-filled session focused on the latest and greatest non-fiction for teens (& tweens). Participants will get a look at recent “must know” non-fiction titles to recommend in the library/classroom, as well as fiction titles to pair with each book. Participants will take away an annotated bibliography of suggestions, as well as a good foundation for recommending and book-talking non-fiction to teens.

Monday, July 1

Generation Us - Intergenerational Programs That Build Community, Monday, 8:30-10am, Are your teens frustrated with busy work, yearning for more meaningful volunteer experiences? Want to create a more positive community perspective of your adolescent patrons? Ready to utilize that wonderful teen energy to create events that are both fun and developmentally enriching? Dawn Rutherford, Teen Coordinator for Sno-Isle Libraries (WA) and Sara Paschal-Holloway, Teen Librarian for Tacoma Public Library System (WA) will share some of their greatest intergenerational programming successes, and give you the tools you need to make them happen in your library! Learn about running terrific volunteer programs such as Book Buddies and Tech Coaching, how to host gaming programs, pop culture events, and digital media workshops that will bring Millennials together with youth and senior members of the community. Create innovative events that will build community, good will, and 21st century literacies. Gain understanding of the developmental benefits of intergenerational programs.

Odyssey Award Presentation and Program, 4:30-6:00pm Celebrate the spoken word at the 2013 Odyssey Award Presentation featuring clips from the 2013 winners. The Odyssey Award is presented annually to the best audiobook production for youth and co-administered by YALSA and ALSC and is sponsored by Booklist magazine.

2013 Michael L. Printz Award Program and Reception ($34) Come listen to 2013 Printz winner and honor book authors speak about their writing. A reception with refreshments to follow. The award is sponsored by Booklist. Free shuttle service to ALA hotels will be provided until 10:30pm.

Research & Best Practices

Maintaining Teen E-Collections
(Sunday June 30, 10:30-11:30 AM) How do you build the best e-book collection for teens? Do you have to weed e-materials since they don’t take up physical space? These are just two of the many questions that need to be answered when it comes to e-collections. In this session you'll have the chance to brainstorm the best way to answer these questions so to build the most successful e-collections possible for the teens.

Youth Participation

Generation Us - Intergenerational Programs That Build Community
(Monday July 1, 8:30-10 AM) Are your teens frustrated with busy work, yearning for more meaningful volunteer experiences? Want to create a more positive community perspective of your adolescent patrons? Ready to utilize that wonderful teen energy to create events that are both fun and developmentally enriching? Dawn Rutherford, Teen Coordinator for Sno-Isle Libraries (WA) and Sara Paschal-Holloway, Teen Librarian for Tacoma Public Library System (WA) will share some of their greatest intergenerational programming successes, and give you the tools you need to make them happen in your library! Learn about running terrific volunteer programs such as Book Buddies and Tech Coaching, how to host gaming programs, pop culture events, and digital media workshops that will bring Millennials together with youth and senior members of the community. Create innovative events that will build community, good will, and 21st century literacies. Gain understanding of the developmental benefits of intergenerational programs.

Empowering Youth Through Junior Friends' Groups and Socially Conscious Programming
(Saturday June 29, 3-4 PM) Involve and engage the teens who use your library by starting or revitalizing a Junior Friends group. Junior Friends allow for the growth of leadership skills, responsibility, activism, and increased positive interaction w/peers and the community at large. We’ll also examine socially conscious programming for teens, which addresses diversity and the need to empower our youth regardless of their backgrounds. These programs can be replicated and adapted by teen librarians across the country. Presenter: Syntychia Kendrick-Samuel

YALSA Online at Conference

YALSA in the Exhibits

YALSA will have a member booth in the Exhibit Hall. It will be inside the ALA Membership Pavillion.

YALSA Office Area & Staff On-Site

YALSA Staff at Conference

Other Events of Interest

Mon. July 1

WHAT DOES PRIVACY MEAN TO ME? 10:30 - 11:30am. A panel of teens, led by Professor Geoffrey Stone, College of Law, University of Chicago, will explore the topic. Professor Stone is a renowned public scholar and First Amendment expert, including privacy issues. Professor Stone will lead a panel of teens through questions that explore the issue of privacy in a digital world. This session will also address how libraries can protect their patrons' privacy while staying within the parameters of state library confidentiality laws. YALSA is co-sponsoring this event.

Social Media & the ALA Annual Conference

The official hashtag for the conference is #ala2013. If you want to call any content to YALSA's attention, then be sure to Tweet @yalsa

Tweeting about YALSA's book award winners? Then use the hashtag #yma (for Youth Media Awards)

Here's a handy list of tips for Tweeting in a conference setting (scroll down towards the end of the blog post)

Chicago Information

Hello, Chicagoans! Please feel free to add information here that may be of interest to visitors.

Transportation

Check out Chicago's Trip Planner for the fastest way to get to your destination using Chicago's public transportation. The Trip Planner includes information on busses and trains. If you'll be using the CTA bus to get around, keep an eye on the Bus Tracker to find out when it'll be at your stop.

There is a free trolley that runs along the Magnificent Mile to downtown and even to Navy Pier. For more information, visit the web site.

Tips for Making the Most of Conference Once You're Home

Write up a summary of what you learned at the conference and share it with your supervisor. Offer to present a session or workshop on a particular topic to your co-workers.

Organize any materials that you collected at the conference. Share the information with co-workers, as appropriate.

Make a list of the new things you learned at the conference and write down one strategy for each idea that outlines how you’ll incorporate what you learned in your daily work.

Follow up with any vendors of interest who offered special discounts at the conference.

Follow up with any new contacts you made at the conference by sending a brief email and/or labeling and filing any business cards you collected.